Anticipation Builds as Black Smoke Rises: Cardinals Enter Day Two of Conclave

On Thursday, black smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, showing that the cardinals in conclave have yet to select a new leader for the Roman Catholic Church. Throngs of believers in St. Peter's Square keenly anticipated the smoke signal appearing on the chapel's roof drip feed.

The critical process began Wednesday with 133 cardinals under 80 cloistered in secrecy as they pursue a successor to the departed Pope Francis. Ritual dictates the ritualized combustion of ballots infused with chemicals to manifest the progress, with the dark smoke symbolizing the absence of a pontiff, while white smoke heralds the advent of one.

An unsuccessful vote took place Wednesday evening. The cardinals are scheduled to cast two more ballots Thursday afternoon, with the next potential signal expected post 5:30 p.m. (1530 GMT). The cardinals, donned in their symbolic red hats, maintain voting upto four sessions daily required for clinching a two-thirds majority.

(With inputs from agencies.)